Flora's Lot by Katie Fforde (13 inch ebook reader TXT) 📕

to theSubversive Second Sopranos, but the general effect was the same.

‘Good idea,' said Charles.

‘I know, why don't you ask William if he'llcome along and help with the refreshments?' suggested Annabelle who, Flora had noticed, was wearing her hair in apleasantly untidy way.

Flora felta bit confused. Why on earth did Annabelle thinkWilliam might like to help? 'I don't think it would be quitehis thing, Annabelle. I know he's a fabulous cook, butselling chocolate bars and ham rolls isn't really what he's into.'

‘Besides,I expect he's gone home by now, hasn't he, Flora?' asked Charles, ratherstern.

‘Buthe lives quite near,' said Annabelle. 'He said. It's why he knows thewood so well.'

‘Ihaven't got his address,' said Flora firmly and, at last, truthfully.

‘Oh,'said Annabelle. 'But you could get in touch with him via Emma?'

‘Possibly,but Emma's away for a few days,' she improvised, and rapidly changed thesubject. 'Now, what other preparationsdo we need to make?' Really, she was far too busy to think about William and his availability. Annabelle must have approved him by now, or whydid she go wandering around a woodwith him at night? 'What else do we need to organise?'

‘There'sonly so much we can do before the day, but we'll get the tables set up and the chairs put out. Please remember there might not be thousands of people,Flora. I don't want you to be disappointed.'

‘Definitelynot!' said Annabelle. 'I don't know why you two are making all these preparations. It's not the AntiquesRoadshow, afterall!’

Flora andCharles exchanged glances. 'No,' said Flora. 'It's not.'

‘Well,if you two don't mind, I want to go and get some things for Mummy. Youdon't need me for anything, do you, Charles?'

‘Not at the moment, no,' said Charles.

Did hereally love her? Flora wondered as she and Charleswatched Annabelle leave the room. Surely some sort ofendearment would have been appropriate just then? Butthere was nothing, not even a 'darling'. They bothprofessed to be in love, but from where Flora was sittingthere was something strangely cold about the whole relationship.

‘So,'said Charles when he and Flora were alone, 'how many people do you thinkwill turn up?'

‘Well,thanks to Geoffrey, almost everyone at choir will bring something. Edie's got the WI and various other localgroups interested.'

‘Andthen there's the advertisements,' Charles said levelly.

Floranodded and confessed. 'Which I put in every local paper for miles around.'

‘SoI noticed.' Flora couldn't tell if he was pleased at her initiative,horrified, or just accepting.

‘Andthere's one more thing I should tell you,' she said.

‘Yes?'

‘Youknow all those antiques programmes on telly have really lovely youngmale presenters?'

‘Flora, I don't have time to watchdaytime—'

‘Ofcourse, sorry. Well, they do. And one of the tenors in the choir looks really like one of them. He'sgoing to wear the right clothes and hang around.'

‘Areyou saying you've hired a television presenter look-alike, when the genuine article probably doesn't know anything about antiques, let alone the fakeversion, so people think they might be on television?’

Charlesdidn't seem nearly as annoyed about this as he wouldhave been last week, Flora realised. 'Those presentershave all been in the antiques trade for years,' she protested.

‘That's not the point I'm making, Flora.’

Emma hadhinted there was something sexy about a man beingstern and Flora now had to agree with her. 'It's justa bit of set-dressing. I'm not really deceiving anyone.’

Thesternness continued just long enough to make Floragenuinely anxious, and then he said, 'Actually, there'ssomething I ought to confess to you, although why Ishould when you didn't tell me any of what you've been getting up to . .

‘What,Charles? God, you're so maddening sometimes!'

‘Iknow one of the experts those programmes use. He's coming down to help. And he might bring a small television crew with him. It depends on what elseis on.’

Flora gotpast the furniture and into his arms without knowing howshe'd done it. 'Charles! You are such a star! Ilove you!' She kissed him hard on the cheek and then stepped away. 'Only in acousinly, co-director sort of way, of course,' she added.

‘Ofcourse,' he said after a second or two. 'I would never imagine you meant it in any other way, ever.'

‘Oh, I don'tknow, Charles,' said Flora, made reckless by his newsand her recent encounter with his smooth cheek andsubtle aftershave. 'If you weren't already spoken for. . . No, only joking,' she added hurriedly, not surewhich of them she was teasing, Charles, or herself.'Now, given what you've just told me - have you told Annabelle, by the way?’

He shookhis head. 'She's still expecting a man, his dog and arickety kitchen table the dog will probably fall in love with.’

Florasmiled delightedly. 'You have got a sense of humour -that's so nice!' She frowned suddenly. 'How do you think she'll react?'

‘Ithink,' he said carefully, 'we might find she does some dressage on Wednesday, so she need only findout about it when the Sheraton chairscome flooding in.'

‘But you don't think they will.'

‘Actually,I know they will because Bob Butler's got a very nice set he's bringing, just in case the film crew turnup and the whole thing becomes real.'

‘Ishe the one who asked if you wanted to buy him out?'

‘Actually,there are two of them. They've both been in business for ever, but can't quite bring themselves to retireif no one will take on the business.’

Flora sighed. Bearing in mind theyhadn't been speaking for most of the lasttwo weeks, she couldn't believe he'ddone so much to help make sure her road-show was a success. Perhaps he didn't think it was such a silly idea after all. 'This is fantastic! I dohope the caterers can cope. I onlyasked a few of them to come.'

‘Don'tworry. The WI will spring into action if the need arises.'

‘They'remore into making sexy calendars than sandwiches these days, aren'tthey?'

‘I promise you,most rural women have been making tea out of urns and butteringbaps since they were in short socks. With a blunt knife, and atspeed. Trust me on this one.'

‘I trust youon everything, Charles.' She bit her lip. 'We'll needloads more fliers. Shall I do them on the computer, or get them printed? I couldbuy some coloured paper, so they look a bitmore interesting.'

‘Fine. Itwill save time just to print